Metformin may help reduce weight and insulin resistance in obese children: Study

Written By : Medha Baranwal |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2021-02-26T11:00:42+05:30 | Updated On 26 Feb 2021 12:18 PM IST

Canada: Diabetes drug metformin yielded modest but favorable effects on insulin resistance and weight in obese children and adolescents, according to a systematic review in the journal Pediatrics. Also, the drug showed tolerable safety profile in the pediatric population.

According to the authors, the evidence driving that conclusion was of "varying quality."

"The available evidence is of varying quality, with high heterogeneity between trials, suggesting some uncertainty in the benefits of metformin in this population," they wrote.

Reem Masarwa, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and colleagues aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of metformin via systematic review.

For the purpose, the researchers searched online databases from inception to November 2019. They included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which researchers assessed the efficacy and safety of metformin with lifestyle interventions, compared with a placebo with lifestyle interventions, in children and adolescents with obesity.

The primary outcomes were mean changes from baseline in BMI, BMI z score, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, and gastrointestinal adverse effects.

The review included 24 RCTs consisting of 1623 patients (aged 4 to 19 years). Follow-up ranged from 2 months to 2 years.

Key findings of the study include:

Metformin resulted in a modest decrease in BMI (range of mean values: −2.70 to 1.30 vs −1.12 to 1.90), BMI z score (range of mean values: −0.37 to −0.03 vs −0.22 to 0.15), and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (range of mean values: −3.74 to 1.00 vs −1.40 to 2.66).
Metformin resulted in a higher frequency of gastrointestinal adverse effects (range: 2% to 74% vs 0% to 42%).

"With this systematic review of RCTs, we suggest that metformin has modest but favorable effects on weight and insulin resistance and a tolerable safety profile among children and adolescents with obesity," concluded the authors.

The study titled, "Efficacy and Safety of Metformin for Obesity: A Systematic Review," is published in the journal Pediatrics.

DOI: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2021/02/17/peds.2020-1610

journal PediatricsMetformininsulin resistanceobesityweight lossDiabetes drug

Source : journal Pediatrics

Medha Baranwal

MSc. Biotechnology

Medha Baranwal joined Medical Dialogues as an Editor in 2018 for Speciality Medical Dialogues. She covers several medical specialties including Cardiac Sciences, Dentistry, Diabetes and Endo, Diagnostics, ENT, Gastroenterology, Neurosciences, and Radiology. She has completed her Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences from DU and then pursued Masters in Biotechnology from Amity University. She has a working experience of 5 years in the field of medical research writing, scientific writing, content writing, and content management. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751